Freeman was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actor Morgan Freeman and Loletha Adkins (neé Polk). He attended the Marion Anderson Elementary School, Ralph J. Bunche and Benjamin O. Davis Jr. High Schools and Compton High School, from which he graduated in 1977. He briefly attended California State University Long Beach as an art major.

The son of acclaimed actor Morgan Freeman, Alfonso Freeman used his imposing presence to great effect in character roles. He took his first onscreen bows in the mid-'90s, gracing the casts of many productions that starred his father, including The Shawshank Redemption, Se7en, Nurse Betty, and The Bucket List. Making light of this, he voiced a lead character, Fred Redding, in the short parody The SharkTank Redemption as well as narrating a Robot Chicken spoof of March of the Penguins, for which Morgan Freeman had provided English narration. Alfonso also appeared in such films as Burn and Lord Help Us, as well as taking on guest roles on such popular TV series as The West Wing, ER, and The Practice. In addition to his onscreen work, Freeman is an accomplished stage actor and gospel singer.

Alfonso married for the first time in 1982, and fathered three sons, Alfonso Rene II, Joshua Caleb and Donovan Lee. He and his wife divorced in 1989. He remarried in 1994 to Larcenia Young.